Victimised recycling strikers uncowed as Hull strike wave builds

Mick Whale, president, Hull trade union council

Bosses' suspension of two Hull recycling workers after they returned to work following a successful first week on strike is a clear attempt to intimidate the workforce into cancelling future action. It has failed.

Workers are more determined than ever to defeat multinational FCC, which despite making millions in profits last year is not prepared to fund sick pay. Staff at the Wilmington plant in Hull plan a further two weeks' strike from 29 March.

At the same time, the planned 231 full-time equivalent redundancies at Hull College - which will probably affect more than 400 actual workers - is a devastating attack. Workers face an uncertain future and students face courses being cut or under-resourced.

The sheer scale of redundancies, with plans to drive down wages and conditions through privatising some jobs, feels like an attack on the city itself.

College unions UCU, Unison and the NEU are organising ballots for industrial action. Socialist Party activists demand the college be taken back into public hands and run democratically by its workers and students.

Construction, school and local authority workers in Hull all face potential struggles against cuts to jobs, pay or conditions. And workers here are also part of national disputes against driver-only operation on trains and pension cuts in universities.

In 2017, Hull was UK 'City of Culture'. Now we are becoming a city of struggle!

Hull trade union council is attempting to pull these different disputes together. Under the banner of 'Defend our City', we will be organising a series of activities and demonstrations during the next two months.